Le Fil Rouge (The Red String)
by FeelingMysterious
Summary: For as long as he can remember, Haru has been able to see the red threads that connect people who are fated to be together. Despite this, he cannot see his own thread. But the young swimmer doesn't care. He's certain that, if he could see it, his string would lead not to a person, but straight down into the ocean. And he's right, but not in the way you might expect. (Shounen ai)
1. Prologue

Prologue

Ever since he was born, Haru could always see the red threads. They tied people together, just like the stories said. No matter how much it seemed like they hated each other, or that they would never exchange a word, two people connected by a string of red always fell in love.

But Haruka Nanase couldn't see his own string. Even if he could, he was certain that it would lead nowhere, into the ocean with no end. He didn't think he could ever fall in love. After all, his one passion was water. It was a passion so deep and strong that nothing else would ever be able to come in front of it. How could he possibly have a partner, when anyone and anything would always come second to that?

He cut through the water like a perfectly sharpened knife, imagining that he was part of the blue, a creature that belonged there. A dolphin, perhaps, like Makoto always said. As Haru lifted his head to breathe, he was suddenly pulled under by a strong grip around his ankle. He thrashed and coughed, feeling panic wrap around him as the water he loved so much began to choke him. It felt wrong, like he was drowning himself.

…

And then Haru looked down. And _he_ looked up, grinning with shark-like teeth. _"Hey."_ The word was so clear, despite them being underwater. _"Where's your tail?"_


	2. Umi no Hana (The Flower of the Ocean)

_Chapter 1: Umi no Hana_

"Haru!" Rin was sitting on his usual rock when Haruka arrived, iridescent tail flicking excitedly against the water as he waved, a wide grin on his face.

"You're like a child," Haru sighed as he came to sit next to him. "Calm down a bit, will you?"

"But I was bored," Rin replied, grin never fading. "You're going to swim with me today, right?" His eyes, red as his hair, sparkled with excitement. When they first met, Haru had thought that they looked like rubies.

 _You're weird,_ he had replied, laughing. _Most people think they look like blood._

"Yeah." Haruka stood, slipping off his clothes to reveal the swimsuit already underneath. He rolled his shoulders once, and then dove into the cool water, feeling it envelop him like the embrace of a lover. A muted _splash_ told the swimmer that Rin had joined him.

They moved through the world of blue together, their movements perfectly in sync.

 _"_ _So you aren't like me. You were swimming so fast, so I thought maybe…" The merman seemed so disappointed that Haru couldn't help saying,_

 _"_ _I'm not, but… I can swim with you anyway. If you like."_

 _Those ruby eyes lit up, and he laughed, holding out a hand. "That'd be great. I'm Rin."_

 _Haru took it, feeling the strong grip, and a small smile of his own touched his lips before vanishing. "Haru."_

"Hah!" Rin burst out of the water and flipped, coming back down with a splash that threw water into Haruka's face.

The dark-haired youth wiped his eyes and gave a slightly disapproving glance to Rin, who had popped up again to grin at him with his usual cockiness. "Showoff."

"Having a tail comes with certain rights," the merman answered smugly.

They had never discussed Rin's origins, or whether there were others like him. And Rin had never brought up how easily Haru accepted the identity of his new friend. They both kept their silence, and simply enjoyed each other's company during these afternoons.

The two swam together a while longer, exchanging laughter and playing foolish pranks, like children. There was a relaxed air between them, the kind that made both feel as though no matter what, the other would always accept them. Then a voice rang out over the rocks that hid them from the rest of the beach. _"Haru, are you here?"_

"Makoto," Haru said, shaking inky strands from his face. He cast a somewhat apologetic glance and Rin. "I should go…"

The merman couldn't hide his disappointment, but he covered it with a grin. "Same time tomorrow?"

Haruka nodded, and got out of the water, making sure he was a decent ways away from his friend before he called in answer, "I'm here Makoto."

The tall brunette hurried over, giving a smile of relief. Most people had their strings on their hand, but his was wound around his wrist, a crimson bracelet only Haruka could see, its end trailing off into the distance. "I thought you'd be here. You're always in the water, even when it makes no sense?"

"When has it made no sense?" Haru asked, genuinely confused.

"The fishtank?" Makoto offered wryly, and Haruka shrugged. His childhood friend laughed. "Come on, let's head back."

Haru glanced over his shoulder, and before he let Makoto pull him away, he thought that he saw a flash of red disrupting the blue and white of the surf. Then it was gone.

~~0~~

Watching his friend, the only human he dared trust, walk away, Rin sighed. He lay back, letting himself slowly sink into the darkness of the ocean, and he sang softly to himself.

 _"_ _Why do they call it the flower of the ocean?_

 _Because it blooms on the shore._

 _Why then can I not take it below?_

 _Because then, it would bloom no more."_


	3. Legends and Change

_Chapter 2: Legends and Change_

Haru returned the next day at their usual meeting time, seeming to be somewhat moody.

Rin surfaced with his usual bright smile, but it dimmed slightly when he saw his friend's face. "What's wrong?" he asked, resting his arms on one of the smooth stones as Haru sat down, feet dangling in the cool water.

"Makoto is trying to start up another swim club."

"That's a bad thing? You love the water, don't you?"

"Yeah, but I haven't been on a team in years." The dark-haired youth looked off towards the horizon with a sigh. "I like to swim, but don't want the pressure to win. Besides… it would take up a lot of my time."

"You mean you wouldn't be able to come here." Rin felt disappointed, brow creasing somewhat over his red eyes. "I'd miss this," he admitted, smirking a bit at the other.

"So would I," Hara agreed, smiling back at him. He was always most expressive with Rin. Even his other friends didn't see him smile very often. But Rin was special.

"Let's not worry about that anymore right now," the mer urged him, tugging Haru's hand a bit before grinning and giving a yank, causing Haruka to fall into the water with a yelp. They both laughed as he surfaced. "Swim time."

Haru shook his head but grinned right back. "Swim time," he confirmed. Off they went.

As the sun began to dip towards the sea, streaking the sky with orange and gold, the young human reluctantly began to move back towards shore.

Rin's face fell as he recognized the silent sign that his friend was going to be leaving. It was harder every time to let him go.

As Haru pulled himself from the water onto the rocks, pale skin glistening with water, Rin was struck by how much like a water lily the male sometimes seemed. Truly the Flower of the Sea.

Silently he scolded himself for such thoughts. It was simply a legend, an old song, and Haru was human. He couldn't live in the ocean as Rin did.

"Goodnight Haru," he said with a small smile.

Haru returned it. "Goodnight Rin. I don't know if I'll be able to come tomorrow, but I'll try."

Trying to hide his disappointment, the crimson-haired male nodded, shimmering tail flicking as he watched his friend walk away up the beach.

Unable to watch him disappear, he dove back under the water, flexing his powerful tail to push himself deeper, eyes shining slightly as they adjusted to the darkness of the depths.

It was an old, old story. A merman who fell in love with a human woman, who lived near the sea. Not heeding the warning of his brothers, he tried to bring her to live beneath the waves with him, and she drowned, leaving him in anguish.

A warning, and a legend. Rin knew though, that the first was more true for him. How often had he yearned to be able to live where his friend did, have them share the same world, not stolen hours that seemed to become fewer as his life moved on.

And yet, it could never be.


	4. If You Dare

_Chapter 3: If You Dare_

"You're an idiot Rin, you know that right?" Sosuke's tone was relaxed, as usual. Nothing ever seemed to bother him, but Rin knew that his friend was at least a bit irritated by this.

The muscular male's long, teal tail waved slowly as they rested stomach-down on the rocks, a school of yellow fish darting around them. His eyes were turned down, giving him a permanently serious expression as they peered out from under his dark hair. "He's a human, and you know this can't last. They live half as long as we do."

"I know," Rin sighed, grinding his sharklike teeth a bit. "But Sosuke, he's amazing. He swims like us, and he loves the sea like we do." He flicked his own glistening red fins in excitement, eyes lit with passion. "It's like he was born in the wrong body, you know? I just know that he would love to come down here with us." Haru hadn't come today, so he had come to talk to Sosuke instead.

"I'm sure he would," the older merman answered calmly. "But he can't. It's as simple as that Rin, you can't change nature. He has legs, no gills, no fins. He lives up there, you live down here. One day you'll realize that he's getting older, then maybe you'll stop with this silly thoughts."

"They aren't silly!" Rin snapped, a rare outburst towards his friend. He felt apologetic almost immediately, and asked forgiveness. Sosuke of course gave it, and they moved to talking about other things.

The thought stayed with him though; what if he could bring Haruka down to live with him?

It was a dangerous thought, he knew that, the old legends were repeated over and over for a reason. Still… what if he could?

 _I fell in love with the Flower of the Ocean_

 _Yet ever apart will we be._

 _Here's a warning to all who live 'neath the ocean,_

 _Love not the Flower of the Sea._

He hummed the song as he swam along, chuckling a bit. He wasn't in love with Haru, but he did care about him a lot. If they could live together down here it would be amazing.

Rin darted through the streets, paved with blue stones. Luminescent plants were woven around the poles at each corner to light the way here where it was too deep for the sun or humans to reach. Rounded houses woven from other plants and adorned with shells and coral like pieces of art lined every way.

It was a beautiful place, and he knew that Haru would love it. Rin entered the library, a building that was not in truth used much by anyone except for students. As such, it was empty enough for him to feel safe in going in search of a scroll with human legends.

His people did use magic, though it was mostly small things and alchemy. Maybe though, just maybe, somewhere in these scrolls he could find something. He didn't really expect to, he was realy just looking to silence that nagging in his mind.

So when he found that one row of characters, his heart almost stopped.

….

 _This… is it._


	5. Announcement

I apologize for disappointing those of you who have been waiting for a new chapter by posting an announcement instead, and then again for what my announcement is.

As you know, I have not posted in quite a long time. This has been due to a variety of reasons, from lack of inspiration to my time being devoted to college and work. I am also focusing my writing on the sequels to my already published novels instead of side projects like this.

For these reasons, I have made the decision to put my fanfictions on an indefinite hiatus. If I become inspired I may still post occasionally, but it will be few and far between. I am not cancelling or abandoning them, and do hope to be able to pick them up again once I have the time, but for now they will not be updated consistently for the foreseeable future.

Everyone who has followed and enjoyed my writing thus far has my thanks, you were all very encouraging and supportive. ^^

If you wish to see some of what I am working on instead of my fanfictions, you can seek me out as AmarantaYuuki on DeviantArt or Tumblr. I hope to see some of you, feel free to let me know that you came from here.

Thank you again, as always.

\- The Author


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